


Nestmates

by TheCartoonusMaximus



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Dragon AU, M/M, Multi, OC children - Freeform, diva (aigami) is evil because someone had to be, light mpreg later on, mom friend kisara, polyship, they're some type of humanoid dragon I guess?, yuumeishipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-16
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 04:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19243951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCartoonusMaximus/pseuds/TheCartoonusMaximus
Summary: His name was Ryou. And he was half-dragon. And that was exactly how he ended up in this situation in the first place. (Reposted from my ff.net account)





	1. Part I: Half-Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this in 2015, and dropped it just as quickly. I wrote it properly in 2017 and published it on my ff.net account, and now here we are again in 2019, publishing it a second time.
> 
> I don't really have much to say about this story, other than it's one of my favorite stories that I've ever written and I hope other people enjoy it as much as I do.

 

Part I: Half-Dragon

[ written on 7/10/2017 ]

 

Ryou blinked back tears as he stood before the gravestone. He couldn't help it. His mother had just died the week before, and her absence stung the man more than he ever would have imagined.

After Father's death, which Ryou had little memory of other than how terribly gruesome it had been, and Amane's death, his small sister falling victim to the wildly swerving vehicle of a drunk driver, Ryou thought he'd already run out of tears to shed. He didn't think he could ever feel more alone than he already did.

Ah, but Fate had one more surprise for him, it seemed. It snuck up on him this time, waiting for several years until he was full grown and living by himself, patiently biding its time before striking again.

Fate had finally taken Mother from him. The only person he had left in the world, it felt like, and now she was gone. Unexplainable heart failure, was all the doctors could say. She had been perfectly healthy, it seemed, and yet she suddenly died in her sleep. A kinder way to go than her husband and daughter had received.

Ryou blamed himself. He'd moved into his own apartment, to be closer to his new job, rather than stay living with her. Perhaps, if he had stayed with her, he could have saved her. Or at least, that was one of the many thoughts that plagued him as the days slowly passed.

Her funeral had been especially difficult. So many neighbors and acquaintances who had never taken an interest in his mother's life had attended, offering Ryou their condolences. Ryou hadn't strictly invited any of them, but, when a few people had expressed interest, he'd decided to allow them to attend. Mother loved being surrounded by people, after all, so why not grant her that this one time?

But it was so hard to shake these people's hands and accept their words of remorse. Several times Ryou had to bite back the unbidden urge to bare his teeth and snarl at them. None of these people had really _known_ Mother. Certainly they'd greeted one another at the market and smiled and called “good morning” as they passed on the street – Mother had always been polite like that – but not a single one of these people would have attended if they'd really known her or her son. Not if they had known about _Father_.

.

.

.

Two more weeks of silent loneliness passed by, and Ryou began to feel emptier. The dull monotony of human life was wearing on him.

He went to visit Mother's grave again, where she'd been buried next to Amane. He inhaled sharply when he saw a woman standing there.

She was older than him, he realized as he approached her, with long white hair and a thin frame. Blue eyes, brighter than any he'd ever seen before, met his own green eyes as she turned, a sad smile on her thin face.

“So you're Ryou, then.” It wasn't a question. The woman turned back to Mother's grave, and Ryou could see the telltale glisten of tears in her eyes. “She spoke of you often. Your father, too.” Her eyes moved to Amane's grave, her smile growing sadder. “You moved away before your sister was born, though. I wish I had been able to meet her.”

“... Who are you?”

The woman turned back to face him, seeming not to mind his rudeness. “Kisara. Your mother and I grew up together, in Ryū no Machi. Where you were born. We fell out of touch with each other after your father was killed and you moved away, but we started corresponding again recently. I came to surprise her with a visit, but... I suppose I should have come sooner.”

She smiled a little wider, reaching out and touching a lock of his shoulder-length hair, an action that reminded him of Mother.

“You have her hair,” Kisara was saying. “And her lips. But...” Her bright, inhuman eyes met his own green ones again. “... You have your father's eyes.”

She laughed lightly when she saw the startled look on his face. “Don't worry. I'm the same as you, Ryou.” Her voice became serious and quiet, afraid of eavesdroppers. “I am also half-dragon.”

Oh.

The two stood in silence for a time, mourning over the graves, each one wrapped in their own thoughts.

It was Ryou who broke the silence. “Kisara?”

“Hm?”

“... What do you know about my father's death?”

She met his gaze evenly, frowning. “Your mother never told you?” Her frown deepened when he shook his head. “... I'll tell you. But not here. Not where others will hear.”

He nodded silently and turned, leading her to his car.

.

.

.

“Like humans, dragons come in all different kinds of appearances, characters, and morality,” Kisara said when they were seated comfortably in Ryou's kitchen, cups of steaming tea sitting in front of them. She took a sip of the tea, grimacing a bit as she spoke. “Your father was... a bad sort.”

She said this delicately, as though not to hurt Ryou's feelings. It would have been laughable if it wasn't so personal.

“I know,” Ryou told her, stirring his tea with his spoon absently. “Don't worry, I'm not offended. I've already made my peace with him.”

Kisara nodded. “I don't know how much you know about dragons, but some of them like to hoard things. Animal bones, jewelry, blankets... I've even heard of some who hoard pieces of human-made artworks. Your father and his brother both liked jewelry. The shinier, the better.”

She sipped more of her tea, staring quietly down into the cup for a moment before continuing. “Your father got into a fight with his brother, over a necklace they'd found. Each one wanted to keep it for himself. The fight became physical. They clawed and bit at each other, drawing blood over this shiny, attractive necklace that neither one could wear. His brother, Shadi, eventually won. But this enraged your father, and he cracked Shadi's head against a boulder.”

She set the tea cup down, wrapping her arms around herself, a haunted look on her face. “We found Shadi a few days later where his body had been hidden, his head split open. It was a terrible sight to see. Even worse for his mates and offspring.”

Ryou's blood ran cold, and he stared down into his tea, staring in horror at his reflection. He'd known his father wasn't the kindest person or dragon, and of course that he wasn't human, but...

… he'd never known his father could be such a _monster_.

“Justice had to be meted out,” Kisara continued, her voice low. “And your father met the same fate as his brother.”

Ryou shuddered and looked away, feeling ill.

“Your mother was so frightened and confused, she didn't feel like she could stay. She took you and left, hoping to protect you and your unborn sister from the effects of your father's actions, and she did her best to blend in with the human world. It's understandable – she was a human, after all, and of course she would try to turn to her own kind, whether they wanted her or not.” The older woman looked at him sympathetically. “I'm sorry.”

He nodded absently, still staring at his reflection.

An awkward silence fell over the kitchen, the two white-haired half-dragons sitting and not saying a word, each falling back into their own little world.

.

.

.

“How much do you know about dragons, Ryou?”

The young man forced himself out of his unhappy thoughts, meeting the firm gaze of the older woman. “... What?”

“I couldn't help but notice how unhappy you are.” She glanced around pointedly, drawing his attention to wherever her eyes fell, forcing him to look around at his drab, empty home. Nothing that strictly tied him into the human world. “And it's not just because of the loss of your mother, is it?”

Ryou didn't say anything for a moment, but it was hard to deny how uncomfortable he was in this world his mother had left him in.

“I want it to work,” he said slowly. “I really do. I want to live and be happy, for her sake.”

Kisara nodded in an understanding fashion. “I know this is a hard time for you, but...” Her eyes turned dark as she spoke. “I strongly suggest you take more than a passing interest in your inhuman half.” She shrugged her shoulders a bit. “It's your heritage, after all. And you never know – you might find something rewarding in it.”

“Your mother would want you to be happy,” she added when he didn't respond right away.

Ryou frowned, turning away and refusing to meet the woman's eyes. “I'll think about it.”

“You do that.”

.

.

.

As the weeks went by, Ryou began to do more than think about it. Thinking turned into genuine curiosity, and soon the young man found himself at the library, carefully studying any book, essay, or article he could find about dragons – what they looked like, what they ate, how they hunted, where they lived in the world... he wanted to learn it all.

“Dragons, eh?” The old librarian asked as he took note of Ryou's small stack of research. He began rubbing his chin in an attempt to look wise and thoughtful. “Not a very popular topic, is it? Why the interest?”

When Ryou didn't answer immediately, the old man came to his own conclusions. “They do say female dragons are very rare and very beautiful... Hehe, are you planning on trying to seduce a female dragon, boy?”

Ryou felt like growling, but instead he forced a smile. “No, it's... for a paper I'm writing for university.”

“A paper on dragons?” The old man blinked in confusion, looking back at the measly pile. “There's certainly not much to go on, is there? The dragons tend to keep to their forests, and they don't associate with humans like us very much if they can help it. Though, occasionally you hear stories about humans living with dragons, or even _mating_ with dragons, but those types are never seen again.”

He lowered his voice to a whisper, as if granting secret wisdom to Ryou. “But I suspect that most of those types are just people who wandered off or killed themselves or something, and nobody wants to talk about what actually happened. After all, isn't it easier to say 'he's gone to live with the dragons he loves' or 'the coward took his own life rather than wait for Fate to decide?'”

Ryou frowned and pointedly turned back to the book he'd been reading.

The old man looked over the young man's shoulder at the page he was on, noting the book artist's depiction of a female dragon asleep in a nest. He gave Ryou a sly grin. “Are you sure you're not planning--?”

“I'm sorry, sir, but please, leave.”

.

.

.

But, the old man was right about some things. Dragons tended to keep to themselves, and it resulted in humans not having a great deal of information about them. Just some basic information, like which forests were known dragon territory, thereby making them off limits to humans, and which dragons lay eggs.

Although which dragons lay eggs was marginally interesting. Ryou hadn't ever thought too much about it, but female dragons were quite rare, after all, and it seemed that the majority of the dragon species was male. And yet, there seemed to be no shortage of offspring being hatched, as some statistics showed that nearly two dozens eggs would hatch each year in a dragon forest, even though, on average, there may only be one or two living females in a forest at a time.

This was baffling to Ryou, until he read the next page, wherein the author explained that male dragons are further splintered into two types – those that have similar reproductive organs to a female and can lay eggs, and those that do not.

That was the most interesting piece of information, really. Everything else was either the same information repeated over and over, or else extremely vague.

It was beginning to look like Ryou would never learn anything of real importance about his father's species unless he set out into the forests and encountered dragons himself.

And the more time he spent thinking about that prospect, the more the prospect actually began to thrill him.

.

.

.

Ryou couldn't actually afford to take any vacation time away from his job, but he took it anyway. Something inside him felt like it was waking up for the first time, and he wouldn't allow something as trivial as his job or his boss get in the way of it. Choosing to follow his instincts instead of protocol for once in his life, the young man packed up sufficient food, drink, and clothing, filling a knapsack and throwing it over his back. He felt like his body was moving of its own accord, as though he were dreaming, and soon he found himself hiking into the forest.

There were trees over his head and grass under his feet. Like the little forest town where he'd spent the early years of his childhood. Not at all like the boxy, busy city Mother had moved them to, with nothing but fast cars and hot pavement and busybody neighbors.

For the first time in a long time, Ryou felt free. And he smiled.

 

 


	2. Part II: the Black Dragon's Proposition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this installment, Ryou meets a dragon for the first time.

 

Part II: the Black Dragon

[ written on 7/11/2017 ]

 

Ryou bent over above the water of the stream, his hand poised, preparing to strike. He dropped his hand down into the stream, easily plucking out another fish and throwing it onto the small pile behind him.

It had been four days since Ryou had begun his little “camping trip.” With each passing day, he moved deeper and deeper into the forest, until he was certain that he'd passed over the unseen border that separated the humans' world from the dragons.' He'd begun trying to survive like he thought a dragon might, hunting animals for food, starting with fish. They seemed the easiest for someone with the body of a human.

That was the worst part of being half-dragon, he thought. You looked human, but no matter how hard you tried you could never feel like a human. It was like your mind and your body were pieces of two completely different puzzles that were badly forced together.

Ryou fingered the pendent of a necklace he wore, absentmindedly closing his fingers around the gold piece, searching for some comfort from his own mind. His father had given the necklace to his mother when he was small, and, now that she was gone, too, the gaudy piece of jewelry became Ryou's. It was a poor replacement for the family he no longer had, but he still kept it with him at all times, wearing it under his shirt and near his heart.

He wondered what his family would say if they could see him now. Would they be proud of his actions, of the quest to find happiness in his identity that Kisara had given him? Or would they be ashamed of how quickly and easily he was turning his back on the world his mother had offered him?

Ryou sighed to himself as he set down to gut the fish he'd caught, preparing his dinner.

.

.

.

A small sound from behind him got Ryou's attention, and he turned away from the fire he'd just built, his eyes wide for surveying the surrounding area. He didn't have to do much searching for the source of the noise, though.

A dragon stood directly behind him.

Ryou let out an undignified squeak as he jumped back a little bit, falling on his bum. He stared up at the dragon that stood above him, its scaly, black lips drawn back in a smirk. The dragon was covered in black scales and had four white horns that sprouted out from his forehead – two that dipped down to frame his face on either side, and two that fanned out in each direction – and powerful, black, leathery wings.

The dragon laughed, kneeling down over Ryou, his voice a deep, dangerous growl. “I was curious about why a human was venturing into dragon territory, but...”

Ryou inhaled sharply when the dragon's face swooped closer, a scaly nose brushing against his cheek as it breathed in his scent. His already wide eyes widened a little further as he noticed the battle scars that cut into the dragon's face.

“... you're not a human, are you?” the dragon finished, pulling away slightly and fixing Ryou with a firm gaze from his silver eyes. “You smell too dark and wild for that.”

Swallowing, Ryou shook his head. The idea of meeting a dragon had sounded okay back it was just an idea, but actually meeting one... It was terrifying.

“My father was a dragon,” he said by way of explanation. “My mother was not.”

The dragon gave a single nod of the head, clearly getting the picture. Half-dragons were not particularly common or anything, but far from unheard of.

Those dangerous silver eyes traveled lower, settling on Ryou's chest, somewhere just above his heart. Ryou saw the glint of desire pass over the dragon's eyes, and he realized what the dragon must have been looking at. A quick glance down confirmed his suspicions; his necklace had slipped out from under his shirt collar as he fell.

Quickly, Ryou raised his hand, wrapping his fingers tightly around the golden pendant. He saw the dragon scowl before snapping his eyes back up to meet Ryou's.

“That necklace... I want it.”

Ryou furrowed his brow. “It's mine and you can't have it!”

The black dragon laughed. “How long can you last out here, do you think? A couple of weeks? And that's assuming you don't anger the wrong dragon. Lucky for you...” He smirked and dipped closer, giving Ryou an eyeful of his large, sharp teeth, as well as a noseful of his hot breath. “... I'm a forgiving sort.”

He pulled back again, gripping Ryou by the shirt and pulling him along, until they were both standing, facing each other. Or, at least, Ryou was facing the dragon's neck. The half-dragon had to tilt his head back in order to glare at the black beast.

“I'm not giving you my mother's necklace!”

“I'm not asking you to.”

Ryou stared in confusion as the dragon walked back a few paces, realization slowly dawning on him. Surely he didn't mean--

“Fight me for it, little halfling!” The dragon taunted, silver eyes glinting as his great, black wings unfurled, looming and menacing. “If I win, the necklace is mine. If you win, you can keep it.”

“You—It--!” Ryou spluttered, so many thoughts going at once. “This is ridiculous! It's _my_ necklace! From my mother, and my father, and it's all I have left of _either_ of them! And you think I'm just going to _let_ you throw it into a wasteful pile of gold you've hoarded over the years?!”

An indiscernible look flickered across the dragon's face, but he still repeated his challenge. “Fight me for it, halfling!”

“It's not even a fair fight! Look at me!” Ryou gestured to his pathetic body, with its human limbs and human skin and human limitations. The dragon could easily reach out and break him in half, and they both knew it.

The dragon growled impatiently. “Fine! If you can last... we'll say five minutes. Last five minutes, and you can keep the necklace.”

There seemed to be no way out of it. “Three minutes. And you can't use your wings.”

“Fine.”

It was only after Ryou had let out a battle cry and took a running jump at the dragon that he began to realize how very, very foolish he was.

.

.

.

Ryou lay on the ground, inhaling deeply, hands clasped around the pendent of his necklace in desperation. The inexperienced half-dragon hadn't even lasted a full two minutes.

Boy, was he stupid to have even agreed to this.

“Please, let me keep it,” he begged, closing his eyes tightly. He didn't want to see the look of wanting on the dragon's face anymore. “I'll give you anything else in its place. But, please... please, let me keep it?”

The dragon was silent where he crouched above him, strong limbs pinning Ryou to the ground. He spoke after a minute, his voice strangely quiet and thoughtful. “Does it really mean that much to you?”

“It's all I have left of them.”

The silence stretched on for what felt like forever. Finally, the dragon moved, standing up and taking a step back, allowing Ryou to stand as well. Ryou did so shakily, watching the creature.

“Keep the necklace,” the dragon said at long last. He cast his eyes toward the pile of fish meat near the fire; in all the excitement, Ryou had forgotten all about his dinner. “Catch some fish for me, instead.”

Ryou blinked in confusion, then nodded, relaxing somewhat.

.

.

.

The dragon ate the fish whole, teeth barely scraping against the fish's scales as he took the slippery thing into his mouth and down his throat. He ate almost a dozen fish, all in all.

Ryou sat on the other side of the fire across from him, patiently turning the meat to be sure it was cooked before biting into it. He sneaked several glances at the dragon as they ate, watching how the dragon ate the fish with nothing but utter fascination.

“What's your name?”

The dragon swallowed his meal, tongue darting out and licking the fishy residue from his lips before answering. “I'm Bakura, offspring of Zorc.” He met eyes with Ryou, grinning slyly. “And you?”

“Ryou...” He searched his memories, trying to remember his father's name. “... offspring of Rusu.”

His blood ran cold when he heard the next words out of the dragon's mouth.

“Rusu...? Where have I heard that name before...?”

Ryou was quick to change the topic, not wanting this dragon to piece together who his father had been quite yet. “Um, thank you, Bakura! For letting me keep the necklace, I mean.”

Bakura's eyes focused on him again, a leering smile pulling at his black lips, revealing the sharp edges of his teeth. “No worries, little halfling. I'm _nice_ like that.”

Something about the dragon's smile and the way he said 'nice' made Ryou blush.

“Besides,” the dragon added with a sly wink. “What sort of bastard would I be if I took it from you? I could ruin my chances with a perfectly good potential mate like that.”

Ryou's face was steaming. He couldn't help but gape at the dragon in surprise and confusion. “... 'Potential mate'...?” He shook his head, trying again at speaking in complete sentences. “Why would a dragon want to be mated to me? And I'm assuming you already have a mate, unless you don't and you're just desperate or something.”

The idea of the dragon being as lonely as he was almost made him feel hopeful.

Bakura make a sort of snorting sound from his nose, almost like laughter. “Who's desperate? I have four mates back at my nest.”

“Oh.” Ryou felt a little bit like a deflated balloon.

“But...” Bakura moved along the ground, suddenly appearing at Ryou's side, startling the young man. The dragon's nostrils flared as he sniffed the half-dragon, his face coming too close for comfort. “... I like the way you smell.”

He settled back on his haunches, giving Ryou his personal space back. “I have a proposition. Come back to my nest with me, and meet my mates and offspring. Should you choose to stay with us, we will provide you with our food and shelter, security and affection.”

Ryou furrowed his brow. “... Why?”

“Because,” the dragon answered, smirking at him. “If you're willing to fight a strange dragon for a necklace, what else would you be willing to fight for?”

“... And if I don't choose to stay with you?”

“Then you're free to leave.”

Ryou fell silent for a moment, then, finally, he gave a firm nod of his head. “Alright.”

Bakura's eyes glinted before he leaned in, sealing their agreement with a kiss.

 

 


	3. Part III: Diva and the Nest

 

Part III: Diva and the Nest

[ written on 7/11-12/2017 ]

 

Ryou walked along the forest floor in the direction Bakura had sent him in. He had been sent ahead as they approached Bakura's nest, the dragon suddenly taking flight and announcing his small detour.

“I came out here to retrieve meat for my brood,” he'd explained, letting Ryou know that he was going to do some hunting. “It shouldn't take me too long. Keep walking along this edge of the river for a few more miles, and I'll catch up with you.”

Ryou couldn't deny that he felt a little uneasy without the black dragon at his side; it hadn't been a full day yet, but he'd already grown used to Bakura's presence.

But it wasn't as though he was really in any particular danger in the dragons' forest. There was usually a small handful of half-dragons to be found in the forests, and even a small amount of humans who had become mates with dragons, so it wasn't as though any of the dragons would pay too much attention to another half-dragon walking around.

He passed by many other dragons and their broods as he followed the river. Many, many caves were cut into the mountain, and dragons, both full grown adults and their offspring, could be seen flying in and out of the cave openings. Dragon hatchlings and half-dragon children played in the trees, watched anxiously by their parents.

Ryou smiled to himself as he watched and listened; it almost seemed normal.

The dragons seemed to have divided up their forested mountain home akin to humans dividing up a city. Some areas had several caves and nests, while others had few, and others had none at all. And it was in one of these sparse areas with few caves where Ryou met Diva.

Diva was a small, wiry dragon with dark blue scales and yellow eyes that flashed dangerously. He seemed friendly enough at first, greeting Ryou from the tree he perched in, but then he changed. His eyes landed on Ryou's necklace, and everything about him seemed to shift. It was as though a dark cloud had passed in front of his face.

The blue dragon dropped down, landing in front of Ryou and baring his teeth. “Why do you wear my father's necklace?!”

Ryou took a step back, frowning; though much smaller than Bakura, this dragon seemed so much bigger and more threatening. “It's _my_ necklace. I inherited from my mother, and she received it as a gift from my father.”

“You _LIE_!”

Before Ryou could properly respond, the blue dragon had lunged at him. Clawed hands gripped around his neck like a vice, the grip never loosening no matter how much Ryou kicked and hit at the scaly creature that had grabbed him.

“Who is your father?!” the dragon screamed and snarled as Ryou gasped for air. “Where did he get this necklace?!”

And then, as suddenly as he'd been grabbed, Ryou felt himself being released, the blue dragon grabbed by another and pulled off of him.

The half-dragon struggled to catch his breath, blinking rapidly as he stared around. A familiar figure loomed in front of him, black wings unfurled as if to shield him. “... Bakura...?”

He probably would have been happier to see his dragon if he'd been greeted by Bakura's face, and not the lolling, dead face of the sika deer that was thrown over Bakura's shoulders.

“Attacking my future mate is not a wise idea, Diva,” Bakura spat out. His body stood tall and rigid, spreading itself to appear as big and intimidating as possible.

“Out of my way, Bakura!” Diva returned from the ground where he'd been thrown. “He has _my father's_ necklace!”

“... Shadi's necklace?” Bakura suddenly turned around, his eyes going from the necklace to Ryou's face. His voice lowered, implying that Diva was no longer a part of the conversation, much to the annoyance of the blue dragon in question. “You said you were the offspring of Rusu, didn't you? So that's where I knew the name from...”

Ryou wanted to shrink in on himself. No, scratch that, he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him where he stood.

Bakura was silent for a moment, then turned back around, fixing Diva with a stern look. “The necklace is  _his_ now, Diva. End of story. Go back to your nest – your sister is probably worried about you.”

A limb was wrapped around Ryou's shoulders – he couldn't tell if it was an arm or a wing – and he was suddenly pushed forward, Bakura carefully keeping between him and the blue dragon.

Diva growled after him. “My father  _died_ because of that necklace, halfling! Does it make you proud to wear what should be  _my inheritance_ around your neck?!”

Ryou didn't get a chance to respond; Bakura answered for him.

“He's your own blood-kin, Diva, and he's not the one who killed your father! That should be enough for you!”

“Offspring of a kin-killer is no kin of mine!” Diva's voice took a dark, sinister turn. “Take care of your mate, Bakura. If I ever catch him alone... I'll kill him.”

Ryou let out a sharp cry and began to run, clutching at his necklace pendant as he fled, Bakura following behind him.

Diva's words would follow Ryou, haunting the half-dragon's thoughts for the next few years.

.

.

.

“Welcome home,” Bakura announced, gently lowering Ryou down into the entrance of the cliffside cave. The place was quiet, but had a homey feeling to it, the long entrance tunnel lined with torches, plants that grew along the rocky walls, furs, and children's drawings.

Leaving the deer near the entrance, probably to clean it later, Bakura was quick to usher Ryou deeper inside.

The cave broke off into multiple caverns and tunnels after awhile, the setup not unlike a human's house. There was a large cavern that seemed to be a main living and eating area, with a large fire pit in the center, animal furs scattered along the floor like rugs or seating mats. A large basin half-filled with water stood in the corner, presumably for drinking or cleaning purposes. Torches lit the walls, showing where animal bone decorations were hung from the high ceiling, their shadows dancing in the dim light of the flames. Openings were carved into the walls of the cavern, sealed off by curtains of animal fur, indicating where tunnels led to other caverns.

“Come,” Bakura said, pulling back one particular curtain and beckoning for Ryou to enter. “Come meet our offspring.”

The chamber Ryou entered was like a children's bedroom, the torches illuminating walls that were covered in drawings of animals. Toys made of wood and bone lay scattered all over the floor, surrounding a large nest made from sticks and moss and furs, glittering in the dim light from the shed dragon scales that were lodged into it.

Two small hatchlings, one purple and one red, lay curled up in the nest, sleeping one on each side of an adult dragon. The adult had dark purple scales, golden horns fanning out around his face.

“My mate, Yamiku,” Bakura whispered by way of explanation, gesturing to the adult. (1) He pointed to the hatchlings, first the purple one, “Kiram,” and then the red one, “Marat.” (2)

“They're adorable,” Ryou breathed, a smile stretching across his face. Tiny dragons, he decided, were the best thing to ever happen to the world.

The adult dragon stirred in the bed, waking up but seeming not to want to move too much, lest he wake up the hatchlings. “Ugh, uh... Bakura?”

Bakura walked around the nest, putting a hand to his mate's forehead. “I brought home someone who might become a new mate. Go back to sleep, 'Miku. You and the offspring can meet him later.”

Yamiku, Ryou would later learn, was very tall and very scary to those who didn't know him, and he was very, very protective of his mates and offspring.

He would also learn that, while very cute, young dragons could also be very, very destructive if not properly supervised.

.

.

.

The other tunnels and chambers were mostly empty – “for in case they had more offspring or if their offspring wanted more privacy when they got older,” Bakura said – or were being used for storage, housing suitable materials for nest-building and torch-making and the like, or for housing food. One chamber had pieces of animal carcasses hanging up in it, preserved by the natural low temperatures of the cave, not unlike a refrigerator. Another chamber contained what was akin to bathroom accommodations – and Ryou decided that the less time spent there, the better – and another tunnel was simply off-limits.

“It's our hoard keep,” Bakura explained sheepishly. “My mate Marik and I keep shiny, golden things in there.”

This left two more chambers for Ryou to see, and he was led to each of them. The first one was a very large cavern with an enormous nest in the center of it, lined with furs and scales and smelling strongly of... well, ' _affection_ ' was the word Ryou chose to use. Clearly, this was 'the master bedroom,' where Bakura and his mates slept.

The final cavern was much smaller, with a very small nest that might have been big enough for two adult dragons. Not only was this nest carefully lined, making it look softer than the others, but the torches in this cavern were smaller, interspersed with hanging containers made from sticks and leaves, filled with fireflies. The walls of the cavern were decorated with small animal bones and painted handprints.

It was a  _nursery_ , Ryou slowly realized.

A grown dragon lay curled up in the nest, his body tucked tightly and lovingly around an object. His build was small, smaller even than Diva; Ryou wondered if this dragon was even the same size as him, or if he would he shorter if they stood next to each other. The dragon's scales were almost iridescent, purple giving way to black, and then to gold, glittering in the soft, dim light. Two golden horns framed the dragon's face.

The dragon sat up when they entered, big purple eyes staring curiously at Ryou. “Hi, Bakura! Who's your friend?”

With his colorful body no longer blocking it, Ryou could see what it was that the dragon was so carefully holding: an egg, the outer shell of it shimmering with a rainbow of colors.

The black dragon stepped closer and leaned down, kissing his small mate behind a horn. “This is Ryou. I met him by accident today. And between me trying to steal his necklace and then asking to mate with him, and Diva trying to kill him, he's had a very long day.

“Ryou,” he continued, standing back up and turning back to the half-dragon, as if none of what he'd just said held any real meaning. “This is Yugi, the sweetest member of our brood.” He grinned, pretending to ignore the embarrassed squeaking that erupted out of Yugi. “I think you two will get along famously.”

And they did, over time. Ryou would later come to spend many, many evenings and nights caught in Yugi's arms, cuddling and kissing and giggling happily with the smaller dragon.

And Yugi would be the one to take away Ryou's fears and insecurities when it came to mating... as well as his virginity.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) – 'Yamiku' = Yami Marik. I like giving Yami Marik his own unique name in my stories that are still similar to his canon title.  
> (2) – In a dragon nest, the mates share equal parental responsibility over the children born to them, but, biologically, Kiram is the son of Yamiku and Marik, and Marat is the son of Atem and Marik.  
> (3) – Similarly, Yugi's egg is his and Atem's.  
> (4) – Marik and Yugi are both egg-layers, and Atem and Yamiku are not.  
> (5) – Bakura is also an egg-layer, but he doesn't like the idea of actually getting pregnant and laying an egg personally, so he's the only adult member of the nest to have not produced any children yet.


	4. Part IV: A Day In The Life

 

Part IV: A Day In the Life

[ written on 7/12-13/2017 ]

 

The other two mates, Atem and Marik, came home later that evening, bearing the food that they'd been out hunting. Ryou was kneeling near the entrance when they arrived, helping Bakura clean the sika deer he'd caught earlier.

Atem was covered in red scales and had three golden horns sprouting from his forehead, two dipping down to frame his face and the middle one pointing almost straight up, tilting just slightly back and to the side. His voice was deep and sounded menacing, but his golden eyes seemed friendly enough. He gave Ryou a polite greeting before leaning over, quickly nipping the half-dragon's nose; he grinned when Ryou blushed.

Marik was very tall and thin, with golden scales and purple eyes. His wings looked much more delicate than the other dragons, the limb bones longer and thinner than theirs. He also did not have any horns. As soon as Bakura had finished explaining about his little “proposition,” Marik had lunged at Ryou, the tall dragon with the pretty scales startling the much smaller half-dragon, pulling him into an embrace and nosing his hair. It took both Atem and Yamiku (who had woken up and joined them) to pry him off.

.

.

.

One of the empty caverns was provided for Ryou to sleep in that night, the dragons having lit a torch on the wall, lit a small fire temporarily to warm up the chamber, and gave him more furs than he could possibly use to make a bed with. It was a lovely gesture, and Ryou wished he could calm his nerves so he could sleep better and actually enjoy it.

Instead, Ryou ended up somehow in the nursery, talking with Yugi into the early hours of the morning, the two telling one another everything about themselves. He learned that Yugi had only recently been mated to the others, having been brought in by Atem in much the same way Ryou had been by Bakura.

Yugi said that he had been born and raised in a forest far from here, but, when he was a hatchling, almost his entire brood had been killed by a landslide caused by a typhoon, the only survivors being himself and his grandfather. But, then his grandfather died of old age a few months ago, and Yugi had set out on his own to find a mate.

“I had to ease my loneliness,” Yugi explained, hugging his egg close to him. Ryou nodded in understanding.

When Yugi was finished with his story, Ryou started on his own, pouring out everything about Mother and Father and Amane, and even telling Yugi about the necklace and Diva. Yugi clucked his tongue sympathetically and took Ryou's hand in his own, squeezing firmly.

When Atem woke up the next morning and poked his head into the nursery to check on his egg-nursing mate, he found Yugi and Ryou tangled up together in the nest, sound asleep in each other's arms, Yugi's egg nestled securely between them.

.

.

.

Things went well over the next few days, and time began to move rapidly. Days became weeks and then months, and then Ryou began to feel as though he were living a whole new life as a different person. He began to forget about aspects of his human life; his job, his apartment, his car... it all began to feel like an unhappy dream that he never wanted to have again.

He mated with the dragons and moved into their nest. Yugi was the one to whom he gave his virginity, but that didn't subtract from the amount of love or, ah, _physical affection_ , as he called it, that he felt for the others.

Over time, things fell into a comfortable routine, and the cave cut into the side of a mountain began to feel like home.

.

.

.

Ryou woke up a little late one morning, tiredly stretching his arms above his head from where he lay comfortable in the large nest he shared with his mates, Yugi and Bakura on either side of him.

The nest seemed empty with only the three of them in it. The others were probably already up, though, either attending to the offspring or gone to fetch the daily supply of water.

Deciding that it was probably well past time to get up, Ryou began to scoot out of the nest, carefully maneuvering his way out from between his mates. He managed to avoid waking up Yugi, but he wasn't so successful with Bakura, and the black dragon began to stir, sleepy arms reaching out to pull Ryou back into the empty space.

Ryou moved out of the way, having long since become used to this sort of treatment from his mates. A light kiss was all it took to settle Bakura back down, and soon the black dragon was fast asleep again, this time huddled against Yugi.

Ryou smiled and shook his head in amusement. Pulling on his clothes, the half-dragon left the bedchamber to see where the rest of the brood had gotten off to and what sort of breakfast he should make.

Tuga, the littlest hatchling, was still asleep in the nursery nest when Ryou checked in on him, curled up with his favorite deer bone. (1) But, as Ryou looked around the nest, he couldn't find where any of the others were. But the fire in the main chamber was lit, suggesting that they hadn't gone far.

Shrugging, Ryou went into the cold chamber where they preserved leftover food, cutting off pieces of meat from one of the carcasses and heating them over the fire, poking them occasionally with a stick.

Shortly after the meat began heating up, Atem and Yamiku arrived home, carrying a basin of clean river water between them. Marat was clinging to Yamiku's waist like a koala, and Kiram followed behind them, a smug smile on his face. Yamiku carefully shook Marat off before he and Atem began distributing the water between the different locations, and the dragonette latched himself onto Ryou's shoulder instead.

“Ry-da!” Marat whined. “Kiram is being a meanie!”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Ryou fixed Kiram with a no-nonsense look. “Were you trying to goad your brother into flying again?”

Kiram looked at the floor, growling childishly. “... I guess I was. But A-da and Ya-da don't mind!”

“Yes, well, they're stupid, sometimes.” Carefully, Ryou flipped over the meat-strips he was cooking, making sure they were cooked thoroughly before removing them. “Listen, Kiram; you're strong, and a fast learner, so you can fly at a younger age than most dragons. But Marat's not like that, and you shouldn't pick on him because of it.”

“But, Ry-da – !”

“No 'buts!' Besides...” He lowered his voice as he handed the offspring their breakfast. “You're the oldest, the biggest, and the strongest. It's your responsibility to look after your little brothers and make sure nothing bad happens to them.” Ignoring the image of Amane that instantly crept into his mind, Ryou fixed Kiram with a look again. “Can you do that?”

“I... Yes, Ry-da.”

“You'd better listen to your Ry-da,” Bakura's voice interrupted. The black dragon appeared out of nowhere behind Kiram, laying his hands on the offspring's shoulders and startling him. “And if you don't, I guess I'll have to punish you, won't I?”

Kiram nodded rapidly; Bakura liked to punish him by making him clean the chamber Ryou called a 'bathroom.' “Yes, Ba-da!”

Ryou smiled. It was almost funny how he and Bakura had become the disciplinarians in their little brood.

His past self would have never recognized him now, he thought.

.

.

.

“Ryou.”

The half-dragon looked up as Atem and Yamiku reentered the main chamber, Atem being the one who addressed him.

The red dragon sat down beside Ryou, stabbing a piece of meat on one of his claws. “We brought extra water for you to do your washing.”

“Oh, thank you!” Ryou blushed deeply as Atem winked slowly, the red dragon grinning and leaning closer to lick at the half-dragon's cheek. Ryou beamed from Atem's ministrations, and, encouraged, the dragon's nose tilted down and began nuzzling against his neck. The offspring both stuck out their tongues in disgust and left – even dragon children don't want to watch their parents kiss.

“We wouldn't want out little mate to have to walk all the way down to the river to do it.” Atem murmured in his ear. This comment incited a growl from Yamiku.

“We certainly don't want him going out too far.” The dark purple dragon growled lowly. “Not when we know how much Diva wants his blood.” Judging from his voice, Yamiku was very, very angry that anyone would even dare to think of threatening one of his mates.

Ryou's eyes widened. He'd almost forgotten about Diva! Icy cold dread washed over him, and he pushed himself into Atem's arms, searching for security as images of Diva's hateful eyes filled his mind.

Atem wrapped both his arms and his wings around Ryou, offering him nothing but warmth and safety. “Well, it's a good thing there are five of us to protect him from Diva, then.”

.

.

.

Kiram and Marat stood in the opening to Ryou's wash chamber later on, quietly watching their parent as he worked. Ryou had claimed one of the empty chambers for himself, planning on using it for washing his clothing(2), and now the cavern was filled with basins for holding water and places to dry his clothes. They dried slowly in the cave, but they got there eventually.

In general, dragon's didn't wear much in the way of clothing, and, if they did, it was usually a cloak or loincloth style of garment that could be worn for long stretches of time and easily replaced. Ryou assumed that someday he would have to give up his human clothes, but, until then, he did his best to make sure they were clean and in one piece.

The offspring were always somewhat curious about their parent's clothes, and especially about his need to wash them, so it wasn't abnormal for them to watch him while he worked. Ryou had gotten used to the audience after awhile.

“Hey, do you two want to go out later?” He asked suddenly, getting the offsprings' attention. “We can go down to the river and catch fish for dinner, if you like.”

He'd been thinking off and on about what Yamiku had said about Diva earlier, and he'd decided that he couldn't stay in the nest and hide from him forever.

The offspring cheered excitedly, and Ryou sent them to go ask their Ya-da or Ba-da to come with them, smiling to himself as he finished his laundry.

.

.

.

Ryou settled heavily beside Yugi later that evening, leaning against the iridescent dragon.

Yugi looked up sharply from feeding Tuga, the hatchling still fussing in his arms, his large, violet eyes taking in Ryou's frame; Ryou had been gone all afternoon, along with Yamiku and Bakura, teaching the offspring how to catch fish.

“What's wrong, Ryou?”

The half-dragon gave his mate what he hoped was a closed off look, but, judging from Yugi's face, it was probably pretty clear that he was trying to hide something. “What makes you think there's anything wrong?”

Yugi fixed him with a look. “You're shaking.”

Oh? Ryou looked down at his hands, realizing that he couldn't hold them straight. “... Why, so I am.” He couldn't bring himself to say why, though.

Yamiku entered the nursery, his face dark and angry, and he looked silently between Ryou and Yugi for a moment, as if to determine whether Yugi knew what had happened yet. Surmising that Ryou hadn't said anything yet, he spoke, keeping his voice down so as not to frighten little Tuga.

“Diva has been watching our nest,” he explained, watching as Yugi's eyes grew wide. “He followed us to the river, and he watched us from the trees. We didn't notice him at first, but... He almost grabbed Marat.”

He turned to leave, but then turned back for a moment, meeting Yugi's eyes again. “Oh, and Yugi? We know how you'll feel about this, but Atem, Bakura, and I have decided – if Diva ever touches anyone of our brood again, we'll kill him.”

.

.

.

Ryou clung to Yugi after Yamiku had left. He felt a pricking sensation behind his eyes, and he was afraid that the tears wouldn't stop if they started.

“I don't want any blood to be shed because of me...” Gods, he sounded pathetic, even to his own ears.

But, Yugi didn't seem to mind, shifting Tuga to cradle the hatchling in one arm so he could wrap the other arm around Ryou, holding his mate close.

“We'll talk to them later, after they've calmed down a bit,” Yugi promised. He frowned. “The last thing the situation needs is more bloodshed.”

The two stayed like that for awhile, not moving or speaking. Tuga fell asleep eventually, but they still didn't move. And this was exactly how Marik found them when he entered the nursery after finally coming home.

“Hello, pretty mates!” Marik said with a wide smile, leaning over to press quick kisses to each of their foreheads. Several small bags hung from his grip, and the way they moved and clinked let Ryou know beyond a shadow of a doubt what was in them.

“Where have you been all day?” Yugi asked, growling in an annoyed manner at Marik.

The golden dragon smiled broadly, holding up the many equally golden objects he had collected; clearly, he'd been working on adding to his and Bakura's hoard. “I've been collecting pretty, shiny things!”

Prying two large necklaces out of his jumble of items, Marik was quick to adorn his mates' necks with them, putting one over Ryou's head first and then one over Yugi's. He nipped at Yugi's nose before pulling back. “But you're still my favorite pretty, shiny thing, little Yugi.”

Both he and Ryou burst out into peels of laughter as Yugi squeaked, hiding his face behind Ryou in embarrassment.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) - Tuga is, biologically, Yugi's and Atem's. He has black scales with red tips, and three golden horns like Atem does.  
> (2) - The children's names are all made up of letters from their respective parents names.


	5. Part V: A New Baby

 

Part V: a New Baby

[ written on 7/13/2017 – 7/26/2017 ]

 

While time doesn't always heal all wounds, despite what people say, it does pass. And as time went on, Ryou became more and more content with his newfound home, and he started growing stronger, developing strength and stamina from the daily life with his dragon brood. He'd even begun giving up his human attire, wearing a fur tunic and cloak instead.

Bakura had almost laughed the first time Ryou wore his new garments, kissing him and teasing him, saying that Ryou was “looking more and more like a dragon every day” and asking “where is that skinny little halfling I found so long ago?”

But, still, even with all these changes, some things remained the same. The threat of Diva still hung over him like a dark cloud. Measures had been taken to make sure Ryou was never alone, and, truth be told, he almost never left the nest unless at least two of his mates were at his side.

So long as they were with him, Ryou felt safe.

.

.

.

Ryou laughed aloud as he was pushed down into the bed that he shared with his mates, Bakura and Marik swooping in after him, their lips chasing his. Yugi came along and joined them presently, pouncing onto Marik and pinning the bigger dragon beneath him. Atem growled and rolled over, trying to sleep, and Yamiku watched from the doorway when he finally arrived, having been checking the area to be sure it was safe to sleep.

“Why don't you all dry up?” Atem complained, pulling a fur over his head; he'd been taking extra care of Tuga for the past several hours, the smallest member of their brood having gotten sick – Ryou had been worried at first but, after some explanations and reassurances, came to realize that it was the dragon equivalent of the common cold – and was exhausted.

Marik cooed gently and nuzzled against the red dragon, quieting his complaints.

Ignoring the others, Bakura suddenly sat up straight, looking at Ryou with such a serious expression that Ryou began to fear that something was terribly, horribly wrong.

“Ryou?”

“... Yes?”

Bakura opened and closed his mouth a few times, then suddenly snarled and pressed his face into Ryou's abdomen, growling out something. “Mee funna mph o ufu n ugh.”

“... What?!” Ryou stared down in surprise. Yamiku made a sort of snorting sound from where he was getting comfortable in the nest.

Heaving a sigh, Bakura pulled his face away from Ryou's skin just enough to speak properly. If dragons could blush, there was no doubt that the dragon's black face would be a bright shade of pink as he spoke. “... I would kind of like to give you an egg.”

“An... egg?” Confusion settled over Ryou, realization only hitting him after Yugi shot him a meaningful look. “Oh! You mean...” He lowered his voice, staring in quiet awe at his mate. “... you want to have a child with me?”

Bakura nodded. Though capable of laying eggs, biologically, Bakura had never felt comfortable with the idea of actually laying any eggs himself until recently.

“I've never had an egg before,” he admitted, his voice very low. “I wanted to have my first one with you.”

Yugi piped up from beside him. “It's been three years since Bakura found you and brought you here! He wanted to do something special for you, and he couldn't think of anything any more special!”

It took a moment for Ryou's mind to process that, but once he did, he burst into tears, hugging Bakura tightly. He had never felt more deeply touched in his life.

“I can't think of anything more special, either,” he whispered between sniffling.

.

.

.

Telling the offspring about their prospective new sibling went alright. They already shared the affections of six parents between the three of them, so there wasn't a lot of misgivings between them. At least, at first.

But, after a few days, it had become very clear to Ryou that something was amiss with Kiram. It wasn't anything especially noticeable – it wasn't until Marik made mention of it that Ryou realized it – but the oldest of the offspring had simply stopped referring to Ryou as 'Ry-da,' calling him 'Ryou' instead. Atem suggested that maybe the boy was going through a rebellious faze, and was simply acting out by refusing to call one of his parents 'da,' the sound with which dragons customarily referred to their parental figures. However, Marik thought it was something else entirely.

“Kiram,” Marik began, calling to his offspring to join him in the main chamber. Ryou sat beside his mate, uncertainly.

“Eh?” Kiram entered the chamber, looking between the two adults in confusion. “What did you want, Ma-da? Ryou? Is there a problem?”

Marik frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. He gestured to the seat beside him, indicating for Kiram to sit between him and Ryou, something the offspring did hesitantly.

“Ah, not so much a problem as a question.” Ryou waited until he had all of Kiram's attention. “Why have you stopped calling me 'da?'”

The dragonette looked away, his voice somewhere between uncomfortable and matter-of-fact. “Well, because... After you have a child of your own, it's not like you're going to want to parent any of us. That's how _humans_ are, aren't they?”

Kiram's voice faltered when he caught eyes with Marik, his parent glaring fiercely at him. Clearly, the golden dragon was not happy with his answer.

For his part, Ryou would be lying if he said it didn't feel like the offspring had struck him across the face. The fact that one of the young dragons he'd worked so hard to help bring up and care for thought so ill of him... It hurt.

“Kiram,” he began, choosing his words slowly and carefully. “I know I'm not a full dragon like you, and I know you don't understand the human part of me. But you want to know something?” He brushed his fingers over the dragonette's spiny back ridge, his fingers moving against the purple scales with the golden tips in the dragon equivalent of a side hug. “Of course I'm going to love the new hatchling. And any more hatchlings that come after. And I'm still going to love you, and Marat, and Tuga, all very, very deeply.”

Kiram stared up his parent searchingly. “... Really?” His eyes were large and hopeful.

A broad smile settled across Ryou's face. “Really. We're family, aren't we?”

The dragonette continued looking at him for a moment, trying to discern whether he was lying or not. Then, he smiled, his childish eyes lighting up in delight, and he nuzzled happily against his human-sized parent. “Then I'm glad, Ry-da.”

Ryou circled his arms around the dragonette, seeing the way Marik was watching them, his golden face practically beaming.

“I'm glad, too, Kiram...”

.

.

.

Many months went by in relative quiet.

Yamiku patiently taught Ryou how to build a nest, and they constructed a brand new one for Bakura's hatchling. Ryou even tore up all of his old human clothes, seeing as they were practically rags by now and he never wore them anymore, and wove the strips of fabric in with the sticks and leaves and furs.

And Bakura... Well, it seemed that, like pregnant humans, dragons with egg had very unstable hormones, and Bakura was no exception. Sometimes, he'd be murderously angry about something or other, growling and snapping at his mates and offspring, accusing Marik of stealing items from their shared hoard or other things. Other times, he just stared off into space with an extremely sad or hurt expression, his voice becoming much quieter than usual. It was about his equivalent of being a crying mess.

Sometimes, he was really insecure, a stark contrast to his usual self-assured confidence.

“... Do you really love me?” Bakura's voice whispered into the dark one night.

“Of course, we do,” responded his patient, patient mates.

He touched the scar on his cheek, tracing the lines with his claw, frowning. “But, I'm deformed...?”

The others would stroke his horns and kiss him, doing their best to reassure him. “We love you, 'Kura. Now go back to sleep.”

And other times, Bakura would just want to be affectionate, and he would latch onto one of his mates and stay attached to them for several hours, wanting to be kissed and cuddled with. As ferocious as he normally was, it was a surreal experience to see him behaving like this.

“Although,” Atem remarked one evening, as he, Ryou, Yugi, and Marik all watched Bakura pounce on Yamiku, clinging to his mate and dragging him down for kisses every few seconds. “He's kind of cute like this.”

Marik nodded in agreement. “Do you think he's going to want to lay any more eggs after this? Because I could get used to this cuddly side of Bakura.”

Ryou shuddered, trying to hide his amused grin. “Can you get used to his other mood swings, though?”

At any rate, it would be over soon. Bakura was nearing the point where he would lay his egg, and then he would probably go back to being the aggressive bastard they all knew and loved.

And Ryou couldn't wait.

.

.

.

“Wake up, Ryou,” Yamiku's voice whispered, disturbing his slumber. Ryou might have been angry about being awoken if it hadn't been followed by sweet morning kisses.

Besides, he knew he had to get up. Atem, Yamiku, and Marik were all leaving on a seasonal hunting expedition today, and he very well couldn't see them off if he was lazing around in bed.

“ _Why can't I come along?” Yugi had pouted the night before._

“ _Because,” came Marik's patient response. “Bakura's going to lay his egg soon--”_

_Bakura growled into a fur pillow at the sound of his name. “Don't remind me...”_

“ _\--and someone with experience needs to stay behind with him.”_

_Yugi frowned at their golden-scaled mate. “But why me? I can hunt just as well as any of you! And besides, you have more experience with egg-laying than I do, Marik – you've had two!”_

“ _Yugi, we talked about this,” Atem cut in. “We can't bring Bakura, Ryou, or the hatchlings with us. There's just too many risks involved. So they're staying here, and someone needs to stay with them in case something goes wrong.”_

_Ryou wasn't too concerned. The others went every year, usually only leaving him and one other with the offspring, and who they left behind changed every year, except for one of them. There was only one of his mates who never stayed behind._

“ _And,” Atem continued. “You know how much it means to Marik to go on these trips.”_

_Marik had two broodmates, the male Rishid and the female Ishizu, who lived higher up on another mountain, close to where he and the others would go to hunt every year. They had a very close relationship with Marik and it meant so much to him to be able to see his kin again._

“ _Okay, okay, you've sufficiently guilted me!” Yugi complained lightly, hugging and kissing Marik by way of apology._

_Marik only laughed, returning the gestures. “You can come along next year, Yugi,” he promised._

Ryou smiled to himself as he remembered the conversation, taking his seat in the main chamber of the nest, Yamiku setting beside him, ready to eat breakfast along with his mates.

Marik and Yugi sat on the other side of Yamiku, tending to the offspring. Beside him, Atem was eating breakfast himself, Bakura curled up on his side, black head nestled comfortably on Atem's shoulder. The black dragon almost looked as though he were sleeping, a peaceful smile on his face.

Atem turned to Ryou, smiling and casting a look at Bakura. “I'll warn you right now – he seems to want a lot of attention, today.”

Their black-scaled mate growled lowly, nuzzling closer. “... stop moving ...”

Ryou smiled in amusement. Turning his head, his eyes landed on the pile of packs of supplies his mates had set aside. They looked pretty well packed, but the half-dragon couldn't help wanting to go check, just to make sure. He settled for gesturing to the pile, looking from Atem to Yamiku, voicing his concerns. “Did you pack enough meat for a four-day trip?”

“Yes, Ryou.” If anything, Yamiku sounded amused. “We have plenty of meat.”

“And you packed containers of water, right? You know, you can't always rely on the river--”

“Yes, Ryou, we packed water.”

“And you remembered to--”

“Ryou.” To his surprise, Bakura had moved over, arms wrapping around the half-dragon's shoulders, body leaning heavily against him. “They're all packed up, alright? Stop coddling them and relax.”

“Oh, alright,” Ryou relented. He was almost immediately rewarded with sleepy, hormonal dragon kisses. Across from him, he could hear the offspring making a big deal about being disgusted.

Marat pretended to gag, sticking a claw into his mouth and retching. “Knock it off, Ba-da, Ry-da!”

Beside his brother, Kiram made a big show of rolling his eyes. “Some of us are trying to eat, you know?!”

Ryou couldn't help but smile and laugh at their antics.

.

.

.

An hour later, and Ryou was standing at the mouth of the cave, a smile on his face as he waved good-bye to his mates, watching as Atem, Marik, and Yamiku took off into the air above him. Yugi stood beside him, waving with one arm and holding hands with Tuga with the other. Kiram stood on the other side of Ryou, Marat fluttering excitedly nearby, and Bakura was still leaning peacefully against Ryou's shoulder, so quiet that Ryou was no longer certain if the black dragon was even still awake.

Ryou felt a brief pang of jealousy he watched his mates take flight, same as he always did when he saw them fly, but he smiled and waved none the less.

For the next few days, it would just be him, Bakura, Yugi, and the offspring.

But if Ryou had known what would happen in those few days, he would begged and pleaded for the others to stay behind.

 

 


	6. Part VI: An Eye For An Eye, and A Life For A Life

 

Part VI: an Eye for an Eye, and a Life for a Life

[ written on 7/30/2017 – 8/8/2017 ]

 

A day passed by, and then another, with nothing of note happening. The offspring still made trouble whenever they could get away with it, Bakura still cycled through mood swings, and Yugi and Ryou kept the nest in order. It was rather peaceful, actually.

That is, until late in the morning on the third day.

That was when Bakura's egg decided it was ready to come out.

Bakura growled and snarled and swore as Yugi tried to force him into the proper position. Yugi snapped at his mate, trying to make him calm down, and Ryou found that he couldn't help but back away from the two; their wings were unfurled and their teeth were bared, and the sight of it set his every nerve on edge.

Marat and Tuga disappeared into their chambers, sent away by Yugi. Kiram stayed. He was old enough to be helpful. But, when Ryou exchanged a look with him, he could see that the dragonette was every bit as concerned as he was – so far, it didn't seem like Bakura's egg-laying experience was going to go as smoothly as Yugi's laying Tuga had gone.

“Bakura, shut your mouth and relax your muscles!” Yugi snarled after another one of Bakura's outcries. “It will only hurt worse if you don't relax!” He had practically climbed on top of the larger dragon at this point, trying desperately to keep him in place.

“Ryou!” Yugi suddenly shouted, turning back over his shoulder to look at his half-dragon mate. “We're going to need fresh water! How much do we have from this morning's collection?”

Ryou ran to check on the water basin in the main cave, where Yugi and Kiram had dumped the daily water supply earlier. He called back to Yugi, reporting his findings. “The basin is still half-full!”

The iridescent dragon growled. “It's not enough! I think we need – ” He loosened his grip on Bakura, the black dragon's movements having calmed down somewhat; Bakura was still thrashing and twitching uncomfortably and growling out profanities, tears of pain leaking from his eyes, but he seemed to be getting a better grip on himself. “ – We're going to need to submerge him in warm water!”

Ryou reentered the chamber, moving to stand beside Kiram again. “Like a bath?”

“Yes. I remember one of the dragons from my previous home doing that. It should help his body relax enough for the egg to slide out.” Yugi turned to the dragonette offspring. “Kiram, help Ryou. Gather all the water in the nest into the large basin in the washing chamber. If it's not enough,” he frowned and pursed his lips. “You'll have to go get water from the river.”

Kiram stared at his parent. “Why can't we just take him to the river? Wouldn't that be easier?”

“ _Warm_ water, Kiram. We need _warm, still_ water! Not rushing, cold river water!”

Ryou nodded. “Even if it _did_ relax his body, the egg could freeze or smash against a rock if we took him out there.” And those were risks that he or his mates were _not_ willing to take. 

Grabbing the dragonette by the shoulder, Ryou ran off again, this time to collect as much water in one place as possible.

'It's not enough,' he realized as he and Kiram stood beside the large tub, breathing heavily. Even after collecting all the water in the nest, the tub was still barely over half-empty. 'We'll  _have_ to go out and collect more water from the river.'

As uncomfortable as the half-dragon was with that idea, he knew it would have to be done.

When he met Kiram's gaze, he could see his own doubt and concerns reflected in the dragonette's eyes. Suppressing a shudder, he stood up straighter, wanting to hide his fear from his offspring, and assumed as neutral a facial expression as possible.

“Well, let's go get the water, then.”

.

.

.

Bakura and Yugi were concerned about Ryou and Kiram going out alone, of course. It wouldn't be a problem, Ryou knew, if only he didn't have an angry kinsman out for his blood. But there weren't any other alternatives presenting themselves. And Ryou was determined to save his mate and unborn child no matter what.

Even if it meant going out of the nest practically on his own.

“It will be fine,” Ryou assured them, smiling and reflecting confidence he didn't have. “We'll be right back, I promise. It will be fine.”

He breathed a sigh of relief as Yugi nodded, understanding that they were running short on options at this particular moment; Yugi was the only one physically strong enough to keep a handle on Bakura, who was panicking enough to be a threat to both himself and his unlaid egg. Yugi had to stay with Bakura – he didn't have a choice.

Bakura was not so easily dissuaded, no matter how many times Ryou and Yugi repeated “It will be fine.” But, in the end, he didn't have a choice, either.

.

.

.

Ryou lowered himself and the empty basin down from the mouth of the cave by a pulley system that Atem had rigged up for him, the ropes and pulleys allowing him to leave the nest without having to be carried by one of his mates. Kiram flew down behind him, landing near his touch down point.

He looked around from side to side, eyes darting in every direction, as he and Kiram slowly began to carry the basin over to the river.

_'It will be fine,'_ Ryou repeated over and over to himself, trying to swallow the nerves that he'd denied having mere minutes ago. _“It will be fine... It will...'_

A sudden movement to the side and a flash of blue told him that he was lying to himself.

It would _not_ be fine.

.

.

.

Ryou cried out as the blue dragon came at him, slamming him painfully to the ground.

“So...” Diva began from somewhere above him, sneering lips drawn back to reveal his teeth. “We meet again, inheritance thief! And this time, you don't have any of your foolish mates to defend you.”

Ryou lay on the ground, staring up at Diva with wide eyes. He almost felt numb, his fear overtaking him to the point where he couldn't feel anything else.

He was going to die. Diva was going to smash his skull open and kill him. All because of a crime he hadn't even committed. And there was nothing he could do to prevent it, was there?

He closed his eyes tightly, hoping that his death would be quick.

The half-dragon expected the next sound he heard to be Diva laughing, or maybe the sound of his own head cracking against a rock. But he wasn't expecting to hear a child's battle cry. He didn't anticipate Diva making a sound of surprise as Kiram suddenly lunged at him.

Ryou sat up as Diva was thrown off of him, his eyes widening as he saw Kiram, all wings and teeth and claws but no skill or experience, tearing at Diva, snarling angrily with his youthful voice.

“Stay away from my parent!” The dragonette shrieked, his voice full of anger and fear and determination. He took advantage of Diva's surprise and drew blood from the enemy.

Ryou smiled to himself, full of pride for the moment. There could never be any doubt that Kiram was Yamiku's child.

His smile faded when he heard Kiram let out a cry of pain, and he saw the dragonette being suddenly thrown through the air, hitting the trunk of a nearby tree with a sickening 'crack.' Ryou stared in horror as Kiram crumpled, his small body curling in on itself. One of his wings was bent in a way that didn't look natural.

“Kiram!” Ryou cried out in horror, only partially aware of Diva diving at him again from the side. He stared at the dragonette curled into a fetal position on the ground – a child he'd been raising, a child he loved, _his_ child – who was laying on the ground, crumpled and bleeding from the gashes across his cheek where Diva had hit him, whimpering in pain and leaking tears from his eyes...

For a moment, Kiram was all Ryou could see. _His_ offspring, a child he _loved_ , was _hurt_.

Was he dying? Would Diva kill Kiram next?

Images of Amane's broken, dying body entered Ryou's mind, followed by his father, broken and bleeding, and then his mother, pain-filled eyes staring vacantly up at the ceiling...

…

Then, everything went away. And Ryou saw red.

He reached a hand out at his side, meeting Diva's face as the blue dragon dove at him. He saw the surprise that flashed across Diva's face as he turned to look at him.

“You hurt my offspring...” Ryou growled, his lips pulling back into a sneer. He felt as though all the blood in his body was boiling, replaced by liquefied anger. “You threaten my _family_...”

Slowly, he rose to his feet, keeping his eyes locked with Diva's. He felt as though he'd separated from himself, as if his body was operating on its own, taking orders from a part of him that had only awoken just now.

“And I'm tired of being afraid of you.”

Ryou felt himself lunge at Diva, not caring or even so much as wincing when his supple flesh met the dragon's claws and teeth. His family... they were his whole world. His mates and the offspring meant more to him than anything else, and, right now, he needed to do this for them. He needed to protect them from the very threat they'd been working to protect him from.

Blood dripped into his eye – from his wound or Diva's? He couldn't tell – but Ryou didn't care. There were sudden pains in his forehead, his jaw, and his hands, but he still didn't care.

“I'll kill you, inheritance thief!” Diva sneered.

Ryou saw his own hands move forward, one gripping Diva's wing too tightly and pulling harshly, bone splintering beneath his hold. The other hand was busy tearing at Diva's temple, pushing Diva's teeth away from his neck, determined to draw blood from the enemy in some capacity. He heard his own voice responding, sounding so far away to his ears. “Not if I kill you _first_!”

His limbs were moving of their own accord, hitting and kicking and tearing at the blue-scaled dragon. To his surprise, he realized that he was successfully drawing blood, that he was actually managing to wound the dragon he had pinned beneath him.

…

… He had Diva pinned beneath him. How had that even happened?

Ryou wanted to pull away when he realized that Diva wasn't fighting back anymore, the dragon staring up at him with genuine fear in his eyes, but he couldn't. He had to see this through. He held Diva down, his hands encircling Diva's throat and squeezing tightly, cutting off all air circulation. Diva opened and closed his mouth a few times, his eyes rolling back as he tried to breathe. He passed out shortly, hitting the ground with a dull 'thud.'

After making certain that the dragon wasn't dead, Ryou directed his gaze down at his hands. His fingers were aching, and he wanted to see how many of his digits were now broken. He hoped it wasn't too many... he'd still need them for things... carrying water, taking care of Kiram, helping care for Bakura and the egg, cooking breakfast for the others...

… What was wrong with his fingers? It was like... they were longer... sharper...

… like dragon claws?

But there was no time to think about that now. Kiram was hurt, and would need tending to. Making sure that Diva wasn't moving to get up immediately, Ryou took the chance to turn his back to the blue dragon, limping over to where Kiram was still laying.

Kiram lifted his head, staring up at his parent with wide eyes. Tears were still leaking from them. “Ry... Ry-da?”

“I'm here, Kiram.” He collapsed onto this knees, gathering the dragonette into his arms and holding him tightly. “I'm here.”

.

.

.

“You could have killed me,” Diva muttered after a few minutes. He'd come to and was just looking at Ryou, the half-dragon moving to position himself between Kiram and the blue dragon once more. “You could have bashed my head against the cliff, could have killed me instantly.”

After thinking about it for a moment, Ryou nodded. “Yes. I could have.”

“... Then why didn't you?”

His confusion almost annoyed Ryou.

The half-dragon growled as he stood, approaching Diva again, standing over where the dragon lay. “I didn't kill you because I need to protect my family. And the last thing I need is for any nestmates or broodmates of yours to come after my blood and endanger my brood any further; one of you is enough.”

He turned back to Kiram for a moment, his gaze hardening, his green eyes narrowing. “I'm tired of you threatening my family, Diva. I'm tired of you wanting me dead for something my father did.”

Tears began to sting Ryou's eyes as he reached for the golden chain that hung around his neck. He fumbled with the clasp for a bit, it being built for human hands and not his suddenly elongated fingers, but he managed to remove it after a moment.

He gazed down at the piece of jewelry, remembering how his mother had proudly worn it every day of her life. It was the only piece of his family that remained after all this time...

Looking back up, he all but threw the necklace at Diva, snarling. “I wore that necklace because it was all I had left of my family, of my parents and my little sister. They all died and left me alone, and so I wore it as a way of remembering them. It means the world to me, but...” He couldn't help but sneer at the dragon before turning away, rubbing a hand across his face to hide the tears that dripped down his cheeks. “... It must mean even more to you if you're so determined to kill me and my brood over it.”

“Ry-da--!” Kiram protested, but he fell silent when Ryou shot him a quick look.

Still frowning, Ryou walked back over to Kiram. After asking if the dragonette could stand and receiving an answer in the affirmative, he pulled Kiram up into a standing position. Together, the two moved to finish the task they'd originally come out here for: gathering water.

Diva just sat there on the ground, watching Ryou. His face was unreadable, but his gaze didn't seem very threatening, so Ryou ignored him. He could stare all he wanted, as far as Ryou was concerned.

It wasn't until Ryou and Kiram began carefully maneuvering the water back towards Ryou's lift that Diva spoke again.

“Why?”

Ryou fixed him with a look. “Because unlike you, I care more about keeping my family alive than killing for that stupid necklace.”

Turning away, Ryou made sure the basin of water was secure on his lift. Then, making sure Kiram was settled on the lift as well, he and Kiram both began pulling on the ropes, moving themselves upwards and back to the nest.

“Why did you give him your necklace?” Kiram asked hesitantly. “I thought... I thought you loved it?”

“... I did,” Ryou slowly admitted. He let a small smile overtake his lips as he ran a hand along the back of Kiram's neck, pulling the dragonette closer. “But I love you and the others even more.”

Seeing the way the dragonette beamed at him almost made everything worth it.

.

.

.

“Oh,” Kiram's words almost sounded like an afterthought. They had already carefully poured the water into the tub, he and Marat and Tuga breathing into it, heating it up with their fiery breath, and the offspring had been chased back out so that Yugi could help Bakura into the water.

As more growling and yelling filled the air while the egg was finally laid, Kiram turned back to Ryou, his eyes looking pointedly up at Ryou's forehead. “You have horns now, Ry-da.”

“... I have what?!”

 

 


	7. Part VII: Journey's End

 

Part VII: Journey's End

( written on 8/10/2017 – 9/1/2017 )

 

Ryou did indeed have horns. Small, white tips protruded from each temple, only noticeable to someone looking at him particularly closely.

They went well with his new claws, he supposed.

He still could have easily passed for a human. The changes were only obvious close up. Anyone standing at even a short distance wouldn't have strictly noticed his new dragonlike qualities unless specifically looking for them.

Staring at his reflection in a polished, bronze mirror retrieved from Marik's and Bakura's hoard, Ryou couldn't help but stare at his face, tracing the image of his dragon eyes and dragon horns with his dragon claws, nail lightly scraping against the metallic surface.

It was his adrenaline, Atem had determined when he and the others had returned home. It happened sometimes. When dragons and humans see their loved ones in danger, their bodies can sometimes provide exactly what is needed to protect those in danger, whether that meant excess energy or extreme strength or even claws; the same concept must have applied to half-dragons.

Ryou was uncertain about his new appearance. Looking at it made him uncomfortable, but he found it difficult to turn away from the mirror for a time.

“You look fine,” Yugi insisted later that night. He and Atem were on either side of Ryou as they lay in the nest, smiles on their faces as they rubbed their digits lovingly over his new horn tips.

There must have been sensitive nerve bundles under these horns, Ryou thought, because this felt wonderful! No wonder his mates liked being touched there so much.

“If anything, you look more... you.” Yugi noted how puzzled Ryou looked about his word choice and continued. “Like parts of your personality are now also a part of your appearance. It's like you look more complete.”

Huh. When put like that, his new changes didn't seem so bad.

“I'm still angry about what Diva did,” Atem admitted, his voice hardening. “Both to Kiram and to you. It's not right that a dragon's mates and offspring be threatened outside their own cave, for something they had no control over!”

His anger left almost as quickly as it had come, his voice softening again as he nuzzled Ryou's cheek. “But, as I told Kiram already, I am very proud of both of you.”

Popping up from the other side of Yugi, Marik grinned widely. “We all are. You protected the nest valiantly, and you did what you thought was right.”

“Even if you _did_ let your opponent almost entirely off the hook.” Atem's voice was laced with a playful growl. “But, still... You did good, Ryou Half-Dragon. And we couldn't be happier to have you as a mate.”

Ryou bit his lip and hid his smile and blushing cheeks under a fur.

.

.

.

Bakura and his egg were both fine, once everything was over and done with. Ryou couldn't help but marvel over the shiny, shimmering silver shell of the egg as he held it in his arms, staring in wonder at the thing that was becoming a child as he carefully and lovingly helped incubate it.

“I wasn't born from an egg,” he whispered as curled up into the nursery nest beside Bakura, the silvery egg carefully tucked between them, where it could feed off their combined body heat. “My mother was a human, so she birthed my sister and I alive.”

Bakura grimaced. “I never met the woman, but I feel bad for her. I'm never laying an egg again.”

He glared at Ryou as the half-dragon grinned, amused.

“It was _hell_ ,” the black dragon insisted. His voice was so serious, though, Ryou couldn't help but burst into giggles.

Yamiku appeared suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, laughing lowly as he brushed a hand teasingly over one of Bakura's wings. “Really? No more eggs from 'Kura? And here I was hoping to have our next hatchling with you!”

Bakura turned his head sharply, snarling at the purple dragon. “Screw. Off.”

Smiling at his mates' antics, Ryou shortly turned his attention back to the egg. He carefully ran his fingers over the shell, feeling the texture under his claws. “How long until it hatches?”

“A few weeks, maybe a month or two.” Yamiku shrugged. “Won't be too long.”

He turned to look at Ryou, his hand still lightly brushing along Bakura's wing. “It's probably soon enough to start thinking up names, if you want.”

Ryou's eyes lit up. “Names...?” He turned to look at Bakura, asking a silent question.

The black dragon made a shrugging movement. “We don't have to come up with a name now. We could wait until it hatches.”

He grinned, black lips pulling tight around his mouthful of teeth. “But I like Youku.”

“Why not Rakry?” Yamiku suggested.

Bakura growled and turned to him. “Nobody asked you.”

“What? Are you telling me I don't get a say in my own brood?”

“No, but everyone knows you come up with the worst names. What kind of dragon christens their offspring 'Rakry?'”

“I would!”

“Which is why you weren't allowed to name the other offspring, either!”

Ryou smiled as the bickering continued. He shifted in his position, tucking his body more tightly around the egg.

Tenderly, he kissed the crown of the shell, whispering quietly so that his mates wouldn't hear him over their squabbling. “I can't wait to meet you, little Youku... or Rakry.”

.

.

.

Diva never returned to their nest, and Ryou and his mates never saw him or the necklace again.

“Good riddance,” was all Ryou could say when Yamiku brought the subject up. He missed his necklace, true, but he didn't want it back if it meant Diva would come with it.

And now that Ryou felt that he could safely leave the nest and began interacting a little more with other local denizens of the mountain forest, he and the others encountered Diva's broodmates from time to time.

Their names were Sera and Mani, and they seemed friendly enough. And yet, Ryou found he didn't like their presence. He didn't like their eyes – they were too bright and hid too much, and when they looked at you it felt like they were looking into your very soul.

They were his kin, too, and Ryou felt terrible for being as uncomfortable around them as he was. What had happened wasn't their fault, but... forgiveness didn't come as easy in real life as it did in fiction stories.

Sera saw through his fake smile on their first meeting, and when she spoke her words were blunt and direct.

“I'm sorry,” the female told him, the haunted look in her face sending shivers up Ryou's spine. “What my brother did to you was not right. You should not have to live in fear of your own blood kin.”

Ryou stared at her for a moment, then found he couldn't meet her gaze.

He didn't have anything else to say her, and it was just easier to mutter a quick “Yeah... I'm sorry,” before turning and leaving, retreating back to the safe hiding place that was the nest he shared with his mates.

He knew Yugi would probably go to apologize to Sera on his behalf later, but, right now, Ryou didn't care. He just couldn't stay there and feel her eyes on him any longer.

.

.

.

A few weeks passed and then the big day finally came. Bakura's egg finally hatched.

The entire nest huddled around the egg as it began to shake, little cracks appearing over the shimmery, silver shell. It took almost half an hour, but soon the egg broke open, revealing a small face with white scales and black horn tips and Ryou's same bright, green eyes.

After breaking its way entirely out of its egg encasement, the little thing immediately began peeping and clawing wildly at the air, crying to be picked up and fed, a chore which Ryou was more than happy to take on, with some help from Marik.

To everyone's surprise, the little hatchling wasn't either a 'Youku' or a 'Rakry.' She was a female. So, it only made sense to name her 'Amane,' after Ryou's sister who had been cruelly robbed of her life at such a young age.

It was a strange feeling for Ryou to look at the little hatchling. Staring down at her, he saw little eyes that looked like his own – and Father's, he supposed – on a little face that looked like Bakura's, complete with little horn tips with the same placement as Bakura's, who had apparently inherited his horns from one of his own fathers.

Little Amane snapped harshly at his finger, drawing her parent out of his thoughts. He stared down at her in surprise, and then Marik gently took her from him, the golden dragon holding the child in one arm while tipping a small vessel with the other, letting the hatchling nudge her snout into the bowl of milk.

Yamiku laughed aloud at this, making Ryou flush. “It's not nice to ignore the hungry hatchling, you know.”

“I wasn't – I just...” The half-dragon stammered a few times. He ran a hand over his face before trying to speak again. “... She looks like me.”

“Of course she does.” Atem had an arm around Marat's shoulder, the dragonette leaning a bit against his parent. “She's just as much yours as she is Bakura's, after all.”

His. It was a nice sentiment, Ryou thought. His child. His family.

The same as these other dragons who had adopted him into their nest. They were all his. And they made life worth living again, made him smile again...

… and that sense of belonging made up for all of the emptiness and loneliness he'd been plagued with before.

.

.

.

The nest had visitors.

It wasn't very often that the nest was visited by outside dragons, but when it happened it was usually family. In this case, Atem's brood kin, Seto, who was apparently on a hunting trip and was passing by their mountain.

Ryou had met Seto maybe once before, and only for a few moments. Long enough to know that Seto wasn't really a social dragon, and that he didn't really engage with others if he could help it. Mostly, he just talked to Atem the last time he'd come around, practically ignoring everyone else.

But, something was different this time. Seto had his new mate with him.

It was hard to picture cold, stiff Seto with a mate. After meeting the dragon only once, Ryou had just assumed that, if anything, the bright blue-scaled dragon would have avoided any potential mates. After all, if he ever settled down with one, he may be forced to actually _talk_ to them or something equally ridiculous.

Then again, maybe the idea of Seto having a mate shouldn't have been more surprising to Ryou than who it was.

“Atem,” Seto addressed his brood mate, instead of the entire family group that had gathered in the main chamber of the nest. He gestured to the woman standing beside him, his eyes softening and mouth flickering a bit, gazing at her with a face so full of fondness and wonder that it looked wrong on him. “This is my mate, Kisara.”

She smiled and bowed her head, bright blue eyes twinkling as they swept over the crowd before her. “It's an honor to be able to meet Seto's family. I'm happy to finally get to know all of the dragons he makes a point to _not_ talk about.”

She gave Seto a loving smile as he frowned at her. Ryou smiled and shifted Amane on his hip while his mates all either grinned or openly laughed at Kisara's little dig.

The half-dragon woman turned back to them, her eyes quickly landing on him. “And it's nice to see you again, Ryou.”

Ryou smiled broadly at her, ignoring the looks of interest or confusion on his family's faces. “It's nice to see you, too, Kisara.”

.

.

.

He was putting Amane to bed in the nursery later that evening when Kisara approached him. She appeared beside him, moving nearly as stealthily as a full-dragon, startling him momentarily.

Her eyes moved from him to Amane, then back again, that patient smile ever present on her face. “You named her after your sister, I'm told.” She chuckled when he stared at her, dumbfounded. “Dragonettes have busy mouths, and I get the impression that Tuga's mouth especially never stops.”

Ryou sighed; he'd have to have a talk with that dragonette about blabbing random facts to people! “Yes. When we saw that she was a female, I suggested we name her 'Amane.' And the others agreed.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, watching the little hatchling sleep.

After several minutes had passed, Kisara spoke again, her voice so low that Ryou almost didn't hear her. “The last time I saw you, you were one of the unhappiest people I'd ever met. But, now?”

He turned to look at her, and she was smiling, her eyes twinkling.

“Are you happy, Ryou?”

If he had had to think about his answer at all, he probably would have thought about his mates, and the offspring, and the sense of love and belonging and feeling that he mattered...

Or maybe he would have thought about all the trouble that had come from his journey into dragon territory, of everything that had happened with Diva and his broken relationship with the rest of his kin, and how he'd thrown away his last good memory of his parents and sister in a desperate attempt for peace, and how none of this would have happened if he'd just stayed home in the human world like the good son he was.

But, he didn't have to think about it at all.

Instead, he flashed the woman a smile, a real smile, maybe the first one she'd ever seen on his face, and he answered her immediately. “Yes. Yes, I'm happy, Kisara. Very happy.”

And he was.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was on the fence for awhile about whether to resolve Ryou's conflict with Diva and how to do it, and in the end I chose to not really resolve it. Bad decision or not, that's how this story ends. 
> 
> However, I like to think that the offspring Marat is beginning to build his own hoard of shiny things that he's begun collecting, so when Diva has a change of heart and ends up leaving the necklace in some inconspicuous place for Ryou and his nest to find it, Marat finds it instead and just ends up adding it to his hoard.
> 
> But this is really the end of this story. Like I said, I had a lot of fun writing it (and sometimes think it might be fun to explore the world some more), and I hope, if you've made it this far, that you had just as much fun reading it.


End file.
